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The Middle-English Metrical Version of the Revelations of Methodius; With a Study of the Influence of Methodius in Middle-English Writings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2020

Charlotte D'Evelyn
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Extract

Among the works of authority referred to by mediæval writers the Revelations of Methodius long held a prominent place. Its popularity continued even into comparatively modern times, for from the year 1475 printed editions of the text appeared at frequent intervals. Sackur, its latest editor, who has prepared a critical version of the work, goes so far as to credit it with an influence second only to that of the canonical books and the Church Fathers. It is the purpose of the present study, first, to investigate the influence of this work upon Middle-English writers, discovering, if possible, to what extent and in what version, they used Methodius; and furthermore, to publish, as evidence of the popularity of the Revelations, a Middle-English metrical translation, which has been preserved in a single ms. Before taking up this phase of the influence of Methodius, however, it will simplify the discussion to summarize briefly what sort of material the Revelations contains, and what is known of its author and its origin.

Type
Research Article
Information
PMLA , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , 1918 , pp. 135 - 203
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1918

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References

* The following study was first undertaken by Miss Marguerite Thiebaud, graduate scholar in English at Bryn Mawr College, 1912–1914, but was left unfinished at her death in March, 1914. Miss Thiebaud had prepared a transcript of the English text here printed, from rotographs of the original ms., and had identified the work, by comparison with the 1496 edition of the Latin text, as a translation of the Revelations of Methodius. She had also noted points of agreement between the English metrical version and the Cursor Mundi. Through the kindness of Mr. B. F. Thiebaud of Connersville, Indiana, I have had the assistance of Miss Thiebaud's transcript and notes in continuing the study of the Revelations. The transcript has since been compared with the original ms. in the British Museum.

1 Cf. E. Sackur, Sibyllinische Texte und Forschungen, Halle, 1898, p. 4 f.

2 Op. cit., p. 6.

3 Sackur, p. 11.

4 Op. cit., p. 9 f. Sackur refers to a German translation by C. Bezold, Die Schatzhöhle, Leipzig, 1883. An English translation made from an Arabian recension of the same work has been published by Margaret Dunlop Gibson in Studio, Sinaitica, No. viii, London 1901, under the title Kitāb al-Magāll.

5 Op. cit., p. 14 f.

6 Op. cit., p. 35 f.

7 Op. cit., p. 43 f.

8 Op. cit., p. 27 f.

9 For a brief discussion of Methodius cf. Dict. of Christian Biography, Art. Methodius. Also, Leo Allatius, De Methodiorum scriptis Diatriba, Hamburg, 1716, p. 77 f. and E. Carel, S. Methodi Patarensis Convivium Decent Virginum, Paris, 1880, p. 6 f.

10 Cf. Gudschmid, Kleine Schriften, Leipzig, 1894, v, p. 505 and Sackur, p. 45 f.

11 Sackur, p. 57. The translator's preface did not share the popularity of the text, for it is found only in the one ms. The name does not occur in the preface itself.

12 Op. cit., p. 56.

13 Cf. Gudschmid, v, p. 505 and Sackur, p. 45 f. Bonwetsch, Methodius von Olympus, Erlangen u. Leipzig, 1891, p. xxxviii, gives a summary of dates proposed before the appearance of Sackur's work. Sackur and Gudschmid are in practical agreement; the latter (p. 505) dates the Revelations 676–78, while the former (p. 56) would set it a little later, in the last years of Constantine IV (668–685).

14 It is not implied that this short version is peculiar to England. Sackur speaks of innumerable mss. of the Revelations in Continental libraries which have not yet been examined. Among these, no doubt, similar short versions would be found. In the Vatican Library, for instance, the Regina Collection contains five texts of Methodius, of which two, Regina 219, f. 1 and Regina 553, f. 169 have the altered beginning found in short texts. The Ottoboni mss. of the same library include three texts with the altered beginning: Ottob. 609 f. 20 r; Ottob. lat. 222, and 662 f. 129 r. For the notes on these mss. I am indebted to Mrs. Grace Frank, of Bryn Mawr.

15 The following are short texts; fragments and extracts are not listed.

In British Museum: Arundel 326, f. 57; Cott. Titus D. iii, f. 138; Cott. Vesp. E. iii, f. 136; Royal 8. F. viii, f. 170; Sloane ms. 289, f. 85.

In Bodleian Library: Bodl. 163 (S. C. 2016) f. 245; Bodl. 867 (S. C. 2746) f. 299; Musaeo 62 (S. C. 3650) f. 135b, slightly incomplete at the end; Laud Misc. 270 (S. C. 1021) f. 213; Rawl. D. 250 (S. C. 13058) f. 12b; Rawl. poet. 241 (S. C. 14732) p. 189.

In Oxford Colleges: Corpus Christi Coll. ms. cccxxx, f. 159; St. John's Coll. ms. cxxviii, f. 217b; St. John's Coll. ms. cxxxv, f. 48b; St. John's Coll. ms. clxxxii, f. 128b; Magdalene Coll. ms. liii, p. 207; Merton Coll. ms. xiii, f. 51b; Trinity Coll. ms. iii, f. 246b; University Coll. ms. xcix, f. 238b.

In Cambridge: Camb. Univ. Lib. ms. Dd. xv. 15, f. 153.

It is a pleasure to record my thanks due to the librarians of the above-named libraries for the privilege of examining these mss.

A number of mss. of Cambridge Colleges which I was unable to see, but the opening words of which are quoted in the catalogues of the college libraries, show the altered beginning characteristic both of the short text and the interpolated text of B. M. Addit. 34018. It is impossible to say whether they show the omissions characteristic of the short text alone. At least they are not copies of the original version, represented in Sackur's text. These mss. are:

Corpus Christi Coll. ms. 66, f. 235b; ms. 275, f. 18; ms. 288, f. 98b; ms. 404, f. 4; ms. 521, f. 48b; St. John's Coll. ms. 184, f. 304; Magdalene Coll. ms. 15, f. 91; Peterhouse Lib. ms. 45, f. 383b, incomplete.

It may be noted that the early printed editions of the Revelations in general follow the original text, with some additions (cf. Sackur's notes), and have the same opening sentence.

16 This omission includes pp. 69–79 of Sackur's text (referred to as S). Cf. the short Latin text (J) printed as an appendix to the present article, p. 197.

17 S, p. 91; J, p. 201. J references are to page numbers in the present article.

18 S, p. 81; J, p. 198. In a similar way the vices of Cain's sons are passed over with the words: que a nobis & negligencia sit & nec dicenda. The latter phrase occurs in B. M. Addit. 34018, the interpolated version, but this text still retains the full list of vices.

19 S, p. 87.

20 Cf. J, p. 192. S begins as follows (p. 60) : Sciendum namque est quomodo exeuntes Adam quidem et Eva de paradiso virgines fuisse. Addit. 34018 begins like the short text.

21 S, p. 61; J, p. 193. Addit. 34018 has still another detail: quae [civitas] postea uocata est Enos propter filium suum Enos.

22 S, p. 63; J, p. 194. Addit. 34018 writes 600, no doubt by mistake. The only date given in the original at this point is the 612th year of Noah. This Sackur refers to Noah's exit from the ark, a statement not in accord with the Biblical text (cf. Gren. 8, 13–18). The edition of 1496 gives a preferable reading and punctuation, in referring the date 612 to the following event, Noah's rebuilding of new possessions after the flood. In the short text, all ambiguity is avoided by giving both dates, 601 and 612, and referring them to the proper events.

23 S, p. 63; J, p. 194.

24 Cf. Sackur, p. 10 f.

25 According to tradition the world was to last for six ages corresponding to the six days of its creation. The sixth, therefore, was commonly called the last age, for it was, in fact, the last age of ordinary life on earth. The seventh or millennium, and the eighth, or everlasting age, belonged to the future, and were sometimes omitted altogether in discussions of the ages. Cf. Bede's short treatise, De Temporibus Liber; Migne, Patrol. xc, col. 288. The millennium, however, was not conceived of as a period of unending bliss, for its close was to witness the unloosing of the dragon, and a consequent time of dire distress, such as the Revelations pictures. One might say, therefore, that the 7th age of the original text of Methodius refers to the close of the millennium, rather than to the last age of life on earth. On the other hand, it is not a Messianic kingdom of the saints or of the New Jerusalem against which the Ismahelites of Methodius break forth, but the earthly kingdoms of Syria, Persia, and Greece. This seventh age, therefore, evidently refers to the last period of life on earth, not to the millennium. In that case, the reviser was in accord with common tradition in changing the number from seven to six.

26 Comester's first reference to Methodius tells briefly who he was and how his book was written. It is a favorite passage for quotation; cf. Migne, Patrol. cxcviii, col. 1076: Sed Methodius martyr oravit, dum esset in carcere, et revelatum est ei a Spiritu de principio, et fine mundi: quod et oravit, et scriptum, licet simpliciter, reliquit, dicens quod virgines egressi sunt de paradiso [Adam et Eva]. This abrupt beginning at the expulsion from Paradise shows that Comestor was not using a short text of the Revelations. Cf. p. 142 above.

27 Comestor, col. 1081.

28 On Comestor's use of Methodius of. Zezschwitz, Vom römischen Kaiserthum deutscher Nation, Leipzig, 1877, p. 44 f.

29 Sackur, p. 6, n. 4, gives most of the references to Methodius in the Chronicles to be named, but without noting that they are taken from Comestor.

30 Ed. Luard, Rolls Series, London, 1872, i, p. 3: cf. Comestor, col. 1076; vi, p. 78 and n. 1: cf. Comestor, col. 1097; vi, p. 497 and n. 1: cf. Comestor, col. 1097.

31 Ed. Luard, Rolls Series, London, 1890, i, p. 3 and ii, p. 267. These references are taken from the Chronica Majora. Cf. first two citations in the preceding note.

32 Ed. Babington, Rolls Series, London, 1865, i, pp. 22, 126, 128; ii, pp. 220, 236, 244, 246; iv, p. 284; vi, p. 16. The Polichronicon quotes Methodius more frequently than the other chronicles, but some of the references are falsely ascribed to him, and all are quoted at second-hand. From Comestor's citations of Methodius are taken notes on the habits of the Saracens (i, p. 126; Comestor, col. 1097), the account of Cain and Abel and their sisters (ii, p. 220; Comestor, col. 1076), the story of Jonitus (ii, p. 246; Comestor, col. 1088), notes on the dividing line of the first and second ages (ii, pp. 236, 244; Comestor, col. 1081, 1091). The editor, discussing Higden's sources at this point (cf. ii, p. xxiv) refers to Isidore and Marianus Scotus. Comestor must also be added, since he alone quotes Methodius, and since some of the phrases in Higden and Comestor are identical in wording. Higden, i, p. 128 quotes as from Methodius a description of Phoenicia which comes in fact from Isidore, as the editor points out, i, p. xxv.

33 Ed. Hayden, Rolls Series, London, 1860, i, pp. 3, 20, 23 f., 28; ii, p. 27. Sackur, p. 6, n. 4 gives the first reference. The statements in i, p. 28 and ii, p. 27 are repeated from the Polichronicon, ii, p. 246 f. and i, p. 128.

34 Ed. Morris, E. E. T. S., o. s. vii, London, 1873, v. 517 f. Cf. the passage from Comestor quoted p. 144, n. 26 above. This reference to Methodius was noted by Miss Thiebaud.

35 The English Works of John Gower, ed. G. C. Macaulay, London, 1901, ii, Conf. Amant. Liber viii, v. 48 f. In a note on this passage (p. 536) the editor quotes the Revelations directly.

36 In The Story of England, ed. Furnivall, Rolls Series, London, 1887, ii, p. 576.

37 Ed. Wright, Rolls Series, London, 1866, i, p. 260. Cf. Furnivall's note on v. 16621 of Mannyng's translation.

38 Cf. a prophecy in ms. Rawl. C. 813 (Bodleian Library), fol. 90b, which, though having nothing in common with the Revelations, is entitled, “The Prophesye of Methodius.”

39 Ed. Morris, E. E. T. S., o. s. lvii, Part i, London, 1874, 1893, v. 2001 f. The Cotton text is quoted.

40 1915–1986. Cf. Haenisch, Inquiry into the Sources of the Cursor Mundi, E. E. T. S., o. s. 101, p. 6*, printed in Vol. i of Cursor Mundi.

41 Dr. Haenisch (p. 6*) quotes the first two lines given above as taken from Comestor and gives the following parallel: Comestor, col. 1085: Igitur sexcentesimo primo anno vitae Noe . . . aperuit Noe tectum arcae. But the parallelism is much closer between the Cursor and the Revelations. Cf. J, p. 194. Anno sexcentesimo primo egressus est Noe de archa cum omnibus qui fuerunt cum eo. . . . Sexcentesimo & duodecimo anno uite Noe in tercio miliario seculi reedificare cepit Noe & filii euis nouam possessionem im terram. . . . Dr. Haenisch, moreover, does not note the author's own statement of his source, als sais mecodi. That the text of the Revelations used in the Cursor was a short version, may be inferred from the reference to both the 601st and 612th years of Noah. Cf. p. 142, and n. 22 above.

42 Cf. p. 137 above. This division is common to all texts of the Revelations. Cf. J, p. 193.

43 Comestor, col. 1081.

44 Cf. J, p. 193; Comestor, col. 1081.

45 Ed. F. C. Hingeston, Rolls Series, London, 1858, p. 11. Cf. J, p. 193.

46 Col. 1081.

47 The reference to this city makes it probable that Capgrave was using a short version of the Revelations. Cf. p. 142 and n. 21 above.

48 Capgrave, p. 15.

49 Op. cit., p. 20.

50 Comestor, col. 1088. Both Capgrave and Comestor record that Nimrod, Jonitus's disciple, was ten cubits in height, a detail unknown to Methodius.

51 Cf. p. 151 below.

52 These mss. are (1) Harl. 1900, f. 21b-23b. (Brit. Mus.) and (2) a ms. belonging to the Marquis of Exeter, Burghley House, Stamford. Cf. Hist. MSS. Commission vi, Appendix, p. 234, Cambridge History of English Literature, ii, p. 504, and Catalogue of Harleian MSS., ii, p. 319. This translation begins: For why it is to wite to us dere breþeren. . . .

53 Brit. Mus. Addit. ms. 37049, fol. 11a-16b. Cf. Catalogue of Additions to the MSS. in the British Museum, 1900–1905, London, 1907, p. 324. The translation begins: It is to be knawen to us dere breþeren. . . . It is illustrated with crudely vivid drawings.

54 Cf. Catalogue of the Stowe MSS. in the British Museum, London, 1895, i, p. 637.

55 This conclusion is confirmed by the dialect, which shows the four characteristics pointed out by Furnivall as distinctive of Norfolk and Suffolk texts. Cf. Furnivall, The Macro Plays, E. E. T. S., e. s. 91, p. xxxv and Foster, A Study of the Northern Passion, Bryn Mawr Dissertation, 1913, p. 30, § 9 and n. 2. These characteristics are: (1) Use of x for sh in shall and shull: cf. xall 212, 214, 235 etc.; xuld, 164, 244, 245 etc. Exceptions: schall, 587, 694, and schull, 546.

(2) Disappearance of guttural gh: cf. ryte, 16, 144 etc.; myte, 189, 329 etc.; syte, 242; thowt, 23; browt, 130; tawte, 352. Exception : pygth, 493.

(3) Use of qw for O. E. hw: cf. qwere, 451. Otherwise wh is regularly used.

(4) Use of w for u (v) : cf. wex, 391 and deworow, 781. This latter word is corrected in the ms. to devowre. Cf. note on v. 781.

56 The same name is repeated in the middle of the page. A William Gilberd is mentioned among the rectors of Bretenham, St. Andrew's Church, in the hundred of Giltcross (southwestern Norfolk) in the fifteenth century. Cf. Blomefield, An Essay towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk, London, 1810, i, p. 442. The entry follows:

1449, 24 Feb. Will. Gilberd, bachelor in the decrees. Lapse.

1456, 30 Dec. Thomas Walle, on Gilberd's resignation.

This person may be the owner of our ms. Name, date, and place (Norfolk) are in favor of such a conclusion.

57 Cf. Cat. of Stowe MSS., i, p. 637 and Blomefield, viii, p. 61 f.

58 For other indications of ownership. cf. Cat. of Stowe MSS., loc. cit.

59 Cf. St[owe ms.], vv. 16–24 and Cursor Mundi, v. 344 f.; the latter in Morris's edition cited above. The Stowe text gives only a brief summary of the works of each day, but that seems to be influenced by the Cursor's account.

60 St, 191–214; Cursor, 1541–1552.

61 St, 825 f.; Cursor, 22023 f. in vol. iii of Morris's edition. The similarity of the Stowe text to the Cursor in this and in the preceding parallel was first noted by Miss Thiebaud.

62 St, 937–943; Cursor, 22373–4 and 22381–4. Other parallel passages are: St. 865–870; Cursor, 22111–22116, Antichrist's education; St, 871–878; Cursor, 22117–22122, Antichrist in the temple.

63 Cf. p. 148 above.

64 St, 881–4. Cf. J, p. 201 f. . . . faciet signa & prodigio, multa super terram ut ceci uideant, claudi ambulent. ... In other respects the Stowe text and the Cursor show many verbal agreements in this section: cf. St, 881–904; Cursor, 22141–22162.

65 The Latin text reads (J, p. 193) . . . Lantech—qui fuit primus cecus qui interfecit Caim. The Cursor has a single couplet, 1513–14:

þis lameth was cald lameth þe blind,

Caym he slogh wit chaunge, we find.

66 Ed. F. J. Amours, Scot. Text Soc., v. 50, Edinburgh, 1903, ii, p. 29.

67 Cf. Emerson, Legends of Cain, in Publ. of the Mod. Lang. Assn., xxi, p. 874 f., for other versions of the story. Wyntoun, as Amours points out (v. i, Scot. Text Soc., v. 63, Edinburgh, 1914, p. lxix and p. lxxi), is using Comestor in this part of his chronicle, but the expression in question seems to be Wyntoun's own. Cf. Comestor, Migne, Patrol., 198, col. 1079.

68 Wyntoun, 243–4; St, 153–6. Wyntoun, 220; St, 158–9. This passage is a mosaic of borrowings, for besides Wyntoun, the Latin text and the Cursor also furnish details. Cf. Cursor, 1514 f. and J, p. 193.

69 Cf. Amours, op. cit., p. xxxiii.

70 Cf. stanzas beginning vv. 231, 644, 811, etc. and vv. 81, 438, for those of six lines.

71 Cf. vv. 103 f., 127 f., 524 f., etc.

72 Cf. vv. 255, 630, 650, 753, 932, where words necessary to the sense are missing.

1 Cf. Coxe, Cat. Codicum MSS. qui in Collegiis Aulisque Oxonensibus hodie adservantur, ii, p. 38. My sincere thanks are due to W. Stevenson, Esq., Librarian of St. John's College, for permission to transcribe this text.